Islam and democracy
All topics-
Iranian lawyer appeals for solidarity
"Iranian women need the world's help"
Mahsa Amini’s crime, which led to her death at the hands of Iran’s morality police, was wearing the hijab incorrectly. A legal expert from inside Iran, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains the political dimensions of this special piece of cloth to Ehsan Hosseinzadeh
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Protests in Iraq
The streets speak for themselves!
Once again, political deadlock is driving thousands of Iraqis to Tahrir Square. They want new elections, but the parliament refuses to dissolve. Elected representatives are now being protected from the people. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Iran protests 2022
Tehran's Berlin Wall moment?
Iran may use the Islamic veil as a tool of oppression, but the hijab is also the weakest pillar of an embattled regime trying to forestall its own "Berlin Wall" moment, says Masih Alinejad
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2022 Iran protests
Can the Iranian system survive?
Political scientist and German-Iranian Ali Fathollah-Nejad discusses the protests in Iran and the long-term prospects for post-revolutionary political order. Interview by Michael Young
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Protests in Iran
On the eve of a new world era?
Just as the Islamic Revolution fundamentally changed Iran 43 years ago and had an impact far beyond the country's borders, the current wave of protests sweeping the country is set to change more than just Iran. The era of political Islam is coming to an end. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Protests in Iran: Worldwide solidarity
As the Iranian regime continues to crack down violently on protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, thousands of people again took to the streets in several countries over the weekend.
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Hadis, Minoo and Ghazaleh
The women victims of Iran's crackdown
"I am really hoping that in some years from now, after everything has changed, I will be happy to have been involved by taking part in this protest," Iranian woman Hadis Najafi, 22, said in a self-recorded video as she prepared to take to the streets
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Saudi Arabia’s divided anti-Houthi coalition
Rescuing the state of Yemen
United Yemen’s future looks increasingly doubtful. August 2022 saw fierce fighting between members of Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi coalition forces in the southern Yemen governorate of Shabwa. By Stasa Salacanin
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Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Art
Iranians flock to see Western art
For the first time in decades, contemporary Western artworks, from Donald Judd to Christo, are on public display in the Iranian capital. They had long been locked away so as not to offend Islamic values. By Suzanne Cords
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Ukraine conflict
How Russia is winning the information war in the Middle East
A wide network of official and unofficial outlets and social media in Arabic parrot pro-Russian talking points about Ukraine. They are often lies, yet somehow the reports still appeal to people in the Middle East. By Cathrin Schaer and Emad Hassan
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One year of Taliban rule
How life has changed for Afghans
On 15 August 2021 the Taliban overthrew the government in Afghanistan and seized power. One year later, the country is facing multiple challenges that demand immediate global attention. Ahmad Hakimi reports
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Pakistan turns 75
Islamabad has serious issues
Seventy-five years ago, Pakistan emerged, along with India, from the British Raj. A country with potential – were it not for the ongoing tensions with India and many home-grown economic problems. Haroon Janjua reports from Islamabad